Qing Ming reported to Ling Qingwan that Ling Shen asked her to come over.
Ling Qingwan called Song Zhiqing to finish what he had said. Song Zhiqing hesitated but refused to say anything more. Ling Qingwan was anxious to see Ling Shenshi, so she said hello to Song Zhiqing and the two separated.
Watching Ling Qingwan's hurriedly departing back, Song Zhiqing felt as if a huge rock was blocking her heart, making it hard for her to breathe.
Ling Shen came back after accompanying Old Madam Ling to worship Buddha. Yanqiu and Laifeng were cleaning the house. When Ling Qingwan arrived, Ling Shen pulled her aside and sat her down.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Ling Qingwan asked with concern. "Did grandma blame you again?"
"That's not the case." Ling Shenshi shook her head. "Although the old lady is a bit strict on weekdays, she is not unreasonable. Don't worry, mother will be fine."
Ling Qingwan rolled her eyes inwardly. She was not helpless towards Ling Shenshi, she felt that the old lady was not worthy of Ling Shenshi's kindness and gentleness. If she had such a good daughter-in-law, she would wake up with a smile in her dreams.
"Mother bought you a string of Buddhist beads at the temple to bless you with peace and safety." As she spoke, Ling Shen carefully took out a handkerchief from her sleeve. When she opened it, there were two strings of Buddhist beads inside.
Ling Qingwan knew that the other string was for Ling Xiao.
"During the ten years since you were gone, every time I thought of you, I swore that if God blessed you to come back to me one day, I would treat you with great love and kindness, and make up for all the debts I owed you over the years. But I never thought that after you really came back, you were either poisoned or sick, and you were often bullied and suffered all kinds of grievances in the mansion. It's my fault, I didn't take good care of you."
Ling Shen choked up and her eyes turned red.
Ling Qingwan felt a little sad after hearing what Ling Shen said. She sniffed, took the Buddhist beads and put them on her hand.
"Mom, you said you would treat me well, and you did. You may not know that the happiest thing for me after I came back is to be with you and my brother. I used to wonder what kind of person my mother is, until I met you, I think you are better than I thought. I also have such a good brother, if I am not satisfied, I will be too greedy."
Ling Qingwan had never said such hypocritical words to Ling Shenshi before. She was really shocked by the fact that Ling Shenshi talked back to Old Madam Ling for her last night.
She truly realized that if she encountered any problems, Ling Shen would definitely stand in front of her without complaint.
The room was filled with a peaceful atmosphere. A loving mother and a filial son were truly a blessing from heaven, and Ling Qingwan was satisfied.
After returning from Jing'an Temple, no one mentioned the farce that happened there. After all, it was not very decent for Old Lady Ling. Ling Chuchu's trick failed and she also lost herself in it. She hoped more than Old Lady Ling that this incident had never happened.
A sandalwood, gold, and wood sedan chair inlaid with jade stopped at the door. A girl wearing a lotus-pink gown and a rose-colored jacket jumped off the carriage and hurried into the mansion.
An Yi tied her hair into two butterfly satin buns. When she walked fast, the bows on both sides swayed in the wind, which looked very beautiful.
She was a princess, and had a good relationship with Ling Xiao since childhood, so it was easy for her to enter the Marquis' Mansion. All the way to the backyard, An Yi stopped a maid casually and wanted to ask about Ling Xiao's whereabouts. The maid didn't react, and a bowl of white fungus soup was poured on An Yi.
"Princess!" The maid looked carefully and saw that the person coming was An Yi. She was so scared that her soul flew out of her body and she immediately knelt on the ground. "I was reckless and didn't see you. Please forgive me, Princess!"
The little maidservant was trembling, as if she was afraid that An Yi would eat her.
Ling Qingwan was taking a walk, and when she heard the noise, she stopped to watch for a while. She thought An Yi was arrogant and would scold the maid, but she waved her hand, secretly said bad luck, and let the maid leave.
Thinking of the quarrel between the two at the flower viewing banquet last time, Ling Qingwan became interested in An Yi. In the previous life, she had played too well with Ling Chuchu, and it was rare for Ling Qingwan to meet such a simple and innocent girl.
An Yi looked down at her body and saw a large area soaked by the Tremella soup. She felt very annoyed.
"If you don't mind, please change into my clothes for now."
When An Yi looked up, Ling Qingwan had already walked up to her and stood still.
"It's you!" An Yi frowned, but the hostility towards Ling Qingwan was gone from her eyes.
"I'm from the Marquis' Mansion. Do you find it strange to see me here?" Ling Qingwan was amused by An Yi's reaction and couldn't help laughing.
An Yi pouted and tilted her head away.
She was no longer angry with Ling Qingwan, but she felt ashamed that she had blamed Ling Qingwan with a clear conscience last time and now accepted her help.
"It's winter now, and water stains on clothes are not easy to dry. You either came to the Marquis' Mansion to look for someone, and your clothes will probably not be dry when you return after meeting and chatting. If you turn back now, you are still some distance away from the palace. It's cold outside, and your clothes are wet, and you will easily catch a cold. You might as well change into mine first."
Seeing An Yi hesitating, Ling Qingwan patiently instructed her to weigh the pros and cons herself.
An Yi looked Ling Qingwan up and down and found that her figure was similar to hers and what she said made some sense. She decided to listen to Ling Qingwan's suggestion and change her clothes first.
"Why did you help me?" An Yi asked Ling Qingwan on the way. Did Ling Qingwan forget about the flower viewing banquet so quickly
"It's just a piece of cake." Ling Qingwan said with a smile.
"But we have a grudge against each other." An Yi frowned and told Ling Qingwan very seriously.
Ling Qingwan burst out laughing.
"What are you laughing at?" An Yi frowned even more.
"You're so cute when I smile." Ling Qingwan turned her head to look at An Yi, her eyes curved into crescents.
An Yi was stunned.
For a moment she suspected that Ling Qingwan was mocking her.
"I know you are thinking about the quarrel between us at the flower-viewing banquet. That was because of a misunderstanding, and it was resolved later. Besides, I didn't quarrel with you. I was always talking to you about reason." Ling Qingwan retracted her smile and said to An Yi seriously.
She really thinks An Yi is cute.
"When did I resolve the misunderstanding between you and me?" An Yi muttered. "You are close to Brother Wei Xun and Brother Hongbo. You said you didn't have any thoughts, but who knows what you are thinking."
For some reason, An Yi and Tan Jiao both called those guys brothers, but An Yi felt particularly comfortable saying it and it didn't make people feel disgusted.
"I don't know what the Seventh Prince thinks. I'm not close to him. Even if there's something going on between him and me, I'm the second daughter of the Marquis's Mansion, so I think I'm worthy of him. Mr. Tan and my brother are close friends, so it's not too much for me to call him brother." Ling Qingwan explained again. "So, does the princess still think I'm bad?"
"Besides, the Seventh Prince and Young Master Tan usually have close contacts with my brother, and my brother is well-known for protecting me. Can I avoid getting along with them?"